Jorivon
'Jorivonus '(pronounced "jhor-e-von", plural is Jorivonus, "jhor-e-von-us"), also known as '''"Ascendants", '''are a large humanoid species of magically empowered beings. Their most notable attributes are their shocking resemblance to humans, their phenomenal strength, reflex, and durability, and their rather influencing unseen aura that surrounds them. Their origins are upon the world Joricron Prime, though they are no longer united upon it. Biology and Appearance Jorivonus are a sentient species of large, humanoid species of diverse, omnivorous mammals. They resemble humans in many different aspects, as they are essentially humans who have been empowered by one of their two patron gods, Ogministra and Akeron. This has allowed their body to morph into a state that is so different from humans, that they cannot be considered one in the same, though it should be noted that they are definitely close together in evolution. Appearance Jorivonus appear much more imposing than Humans, as they are superior in practically every way to an average human. While some Jorivon (especially females) can remain as large as an average human (or even smaller than your average, which is uncommon), most grow to be much taller. An average male Jorivon towers over the average human at 6'8", while the upper spectrum can see males at over 8 feet tall. Meanwhile, females usually grow to be around 6'1", with many growing taller, as well as shorter. The shorter end of female Jorivon height is around 5'6". Another notable appearance is their eyes. The eyes of a Jorivon glow. This glow emits from the Iris of the eye, and is caused by the high amounts of magic that is intertwined with their physiology and anatomy. Jorivonus often have a much more vivid appearance according to which god they worship. Those who worship Ogministra, and thus have a pure soul, are often vibrant. Their face seems to be lacking imperfection (save for scars and other external afflictions) and one can see a glow around their body. This glow cannot be recorded, and is very faint, often mocked up as an illusion to the eyes. In older and more developed Jorivonus, the iris can even turn a golden color. However, those who worship Akeron, and thus have a corrupted soul, become wicked in appearance. Their face and lips dry as cracks become noticeable in the skin. Dark veins become visible around the cheeks, eyes, and mouth. This is followed by a warping effect, where the skin of their body seems to blur and distort. Like the glow however, this is often chalked up to an illusion of the eyes. Like the Ogministra equivalents, the Akeron worshiping Jorivonus also have a change of iris color, often turning a purple, red, or even pitch black color later on. All these features are able to be disguised by their own illusive magic. Along with visible appearances, the Jorivonus emit an aura based on how powerful they are. This aura is usually perceived differently for each different Jorivon, but said aura will reflect based on their patron god. Holy souls of Ogministra will often give an aura of positive feelings, such as content, security, and well-being. On the other end, Akeron give off an aura of dread, danger, and malicious intent. These often do not hold up however, to those who are of opposite to them. A Jorivon aura can subtly change depending on their mood and intent, often turning hostile, or saddening if their mood reflects it. Like their appearance, this aura can be masked by themselves, or even simply self controlled by their own will. One more notable aspect is their aging. Because Jorivon live much longer, they age much more slowly. In relation to human years, ten years as a Jorivon is equivalent to one year as a human. A ten year old Jorivon will still look like an infant, while a five hundred year old Jorivon will look akin to a fifty year old man, and so on. As a human ascends to become a Jorivon, they tend to morph back a few decades if they were old to a younger state. While the number of years back is almost impossible to determine, most who are over the age of twenty three end up returning to look like a human in their early twenties, and will remain as such until they have lived for over 200 years, in which they begin to show age again. On rare occasions however, younger humans who ascend at around their late teens will end up looking like a child once more. Biology The anatomy and physiology of the Jorivon are what truly separate them from humans. Having a vastly different anatomy thanks to their magically empowered "core". Universally, all Jorivonus have a core, known as an Augmavon Core. This core is a small fraction of power bestowed upon them by their patron God, and is not physical by any means. Within this source of power is also combined their soul. The Augmavon Core serves as the focal point to all Jorivonus, as it rapidly alters their physical body. Newly inducted Jorivonus always start out with just a single spherical like object, but as they grow and become more attuned with their own power, these cores begin to spread out like a seed's roots. With the right abilities, this can be seen as long winding tendrils moving throughout the body, almost like a nervous system. The Augmavon supplements many bodily functions with magical elements, and increases them in massive proportions. This can be seen in multiple aspects of the body. The skeletal structure of the Jorivon is much more durable, but not too much heavier than a normal humans skeleton. While taller and larger Jorivonus may have thicker bones, smaller sized individuals may have normal sized bones, but even sizes similar to humans will still be almost thrice as strong, able to withstand much more punishment, and heal rapidly. Where a human femur (the strongest bone in the body) can withstand about a ton of weight, the smaller Jorivonus can hold over three tons, with larger Jorivonus femurs holding even more weight, up to six tons or more. This allows an individual to endure much higher falls, and withstand devastating blows that would shatter an entire human skeleton. The senses and reflexes of Jorivonus are also incredibly enhanced. Visual acuity of the eyes measures at 20/2 vision if measured on a human scale, meaning Jorivonus can see fine details from much farther away. Their sense of smell, while not that much more powerful than humans, can still track a scent slightly better than a humans. Jorivonus can hear sounds from much farther away. This means that they are more sensitive to loud sounds, but this is aided by the fact that their ear drums and inner workings are much more durable. Along with the rest of their enhanced senses, Jorivonus have an incredible reflex, able to react to thinks on a much quicker basis than humans. This allows them dodge very fast incoming objects, and react accordingly. The muscular makeup of the Jorivon is also far beyond that of a human. Jorivon muscles contain many more protein fibers than your average human, meaning that their muscles are much more dense. Along with this is the simple fact that the Jorivonus have magical energy flowing through their body, which enhances their muscles beyond what may seem possible. This means that they can lift much heavier weights. An average Jorivon can bench press about two tons of weight, which is around 4 thousand pounds. This weight can decrease or increase based on physical training, activity, and size. The workings of a Jorivon are increased overall. They have a much higher metabolism, which means that they absorb nutrients and gain strength much faster, as well as cleanse their body of poisons and disease. Their immune system is enhanced so that even some of the deadliest diseases that humans can catch can only give symptoms of a minor cold to a Jorivon. However, this does not mean there are no diseases that haven't adapted to the Jorivon. Sick Jorivonus, specifically Ogministrum, take special care to avoid humans, as a disease that is severe to a Jorivon is surely fatal to a human. One of the most notable attributes of their body is their extreme speed. Even the largest Jorivonus can move with incredible speeds. The fastest an average human can run is up to 28 mph in burst. The fastest a Jorivon can run in burst is 44 mph, but trained Jorivonus (those of lighter size) can move up to around 60 mph, with certain abilities and magic carrying them up to over 100 miles per hour, though this is rare and more of specific individuals. Another more externally influenced factor of their biology is their elemental factor. Most Jorivonus inhabit two elements of the world: Spiritual and Elemental. These are ingrained within their Augmavon Core at the beginning of their ascendancy, and are within them until the end of their lives. While uncommon, some Jorivonus can pick up more than two elements, and on incredibly rare occasions, they can pick up all of the elements, though they will always be strongest in two elements. These elements provide many different benefits, and negatives to their body. Jorivonus of Fire elemental are much more tolerant of heat, and can withstand much hotter temperatures. Air elemental Jorivonus are naturally capable of handling much higher voltages of electricity. Death elemental Jorivonus are commonly seen with pale skin and darker sclera, while Chaos elementals can inhabit completely random mutations that are subtle. On the other hand, fire elementals suffer much more in the cold then your average Jorivon, and Death Elementals may be resistant to healing methods. Finally, the only factor that Jorivonus are inferior in is their reproductive system. While not lacking in proportions to humans, they are not as fertile as humans, and thus require many more attempts at procreation. Because of this, the Jorivonus are not nearly as numerous as humans, who number in the trillions within the Hypernova galaxy. However, Life Elementals are known for being more fertile due to their element, which focuses around the creation of living beings. All this adds up to the overall life expectancy of a Jorivon. Because of their increased physical status, and their connection to magic, they can live to over a millenium, at around 1100 years. However, Jorivonus of the Akeron, especially in present times, have been known to extend their age using dark magic that is otherwise forbidden in the Ogministrum. This has resulted in Jorivonus who have lived well past 10,000 years of age. The oldest Jorivon to date is the Dark Emperor, who has ruled over the Akeron since its official founding after the War of Angels. Society and Culture As of now, the society and culture of the Jorivon are entirely dependent on which god they have aligned with. Before the War of Angels however, Jorivonus were a large, theocratic nation numbering in the low billions. As an ethno-religious group, this meant that most of, if not all Jorivonus were part of the clan. Located on Joricron Prime, the Jorivonus were regarded as angels among the local populace that resided there, who were normal humans. Because of this, the Jorivonus were often lavished in gifts, which were given out of thanks for the many favors the Jorivonus offered the human population. Jorivonus culture and society was established off of their ancient God, who bestowed upon them many fantastical powers. Rituals were considered normal, and still are among the two splinter factions. Among the clan, great performances were often done to honor their god, and other heroes among them. Joricron Prime was home to many great beasts and such, which served as an opportunity for a Jorivon to prove themselves in combat, as well as feed those around them. Jorivon, as a clan that prides themselves in combat, often had, and still have sporting events to test their reflexes, strength, and skill. Popular sports include: Provrina, gladiator arena combat which can be held with varying rules that are never fatal, Jundasa, a racing sport that has contestants maneuvering highly intricate and complex courses to reach the end, and Enerkon, a sport that involves two teams lobbing a sphere of magical energy back and fourth to try and take out a target on the enemies side. Jorivonus also wished to uphold an air of nobility, and thus were very polite. Good manners were had in giving a foreigner as much welcome as possible. This worked in their favor, as the Jorivonus were known for hosting grand feasts and celebrations. Holidays were more akin to rituals that they'd perform to give tribute to Omega. Jorivonus also tended to their appearance as a warrior, and thus, their casual wardrobe was often just their combat armor. It was also considered offensive to put padding on the inside as to make it softer, as this was seen as weak. However, their formal dress was often very illusive and amazing. Even their formal dress had some armor though, but having no armor on these outfits was still considered normal. The only time a Jorivon would have anything less then their casual or formal outfit was when they were within their home, in which younger Jorivon may wear more simpler clothing such as a close fitting wear, a large robe, or in some cases (especially among more relaxed Jorivonus) a simple T-Shirt and Pajama Pants. It was stressed however that wearing simply undergarments was considered very inappropriate for house wear, even if you were expecting no company. The only time undergarments alone would suffice is either right before or after bathing, or when sleeping. Nudity was never tolerated outside of bathing or procreation, and any sight of such was considered sinful, and thus subject to punishment. The daily lives of your average Jorivon are that of self improvement, education and training, and adventure. In their younger years, before their training, simple things such as morals, laws, and beliefs were the average thing taught to those who were under 130 years old, as well as education. An average Jorivon was considered a genius in many subjects because of their extended time, and those that appeared to be 13 years old were in fact very well versed in many subjects. As a Jorivon reached 130 years old, they would enter their training, in which they would learn how to handle their weapon, and control their magical elements. The Jorivonus of back then did not hold academies, but instead had masters. These masters were either their parents, or another high ranking member. Academies existed, but not in the form of masters teaching hundreds of students like it is now in the Ogministrum. Instead, temples were outfitted as a place for a master to take their select apprentices to and train accordingly. Jorivon training lasted a very long time, as Jorivonus had no reason to push out warriors at a fast pace as they do now. In the Clan, an average Jorivon would see basic training end at around 210 years old, and then advanced training end at around 320 years of age. Further training is optional but only on the persons own time. During this training however, students were sent on great missions and whatnot. After their training, a Jorivon could have done a number of things. They could be scholars, or teach other students. They could go out and explore Joricron Prime, or one of the many other habitable planets that were discovered later on. They could also work as researchers or hunters of ancient artifacts that were considered anomalous. The actual government of the Jorivon Clan was, as stated, theocratic, but highly organized. All Jorivonus obeyed Omega, the patron god. However, it was uncommon for Omega to speak to every single person, and thus, a council was made to adhere to the word of Omega. This council acted as the leaders, and directed the clan based on the word of Omega. Respect was earned by accomplishment and knowledge, not rank. Leadership was often decided through duels to see who was the more experienced, but they made efforts to calmly decide a leader in small scale situations. Required goals were met by respect from the community upon completing said objective on a timely basis. There was no currency, because all Jorivonus carried out task out of faith, and duty, with the reward of respect and honor, which would push them up in society. As the War of Angels began to muster, society began to warp. The normally friendly Jorivonus became hesitant to welcome others, especially normal humans, fearing they were spies of those who they deemed "corrupted" or "totalitarian." Society began to collapse as tensions grew and grew. Training slowly came to a halt as Jorivonus were detained left and right. Eventually, as war was declared, inter-clan communication devolved into warfare-like behavior. This would prove to be the downfall of the Jorivon Clan, and the end of the Jorivon as a united society and culture.